Dean Umansky Moving to Direct Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program
JONESBORO -- Dr. Lauri Umansky is stepping down as the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the close of this academic year to direct the Heritage Studies Ph.D. program at Arkansas State University.
Umansky remains as a professor of history for A-State. An interim dean for the college will be selected prior to the effective date of Umansky’s transition in late June.
“I appreciate the work that Lauri has done on behalf of the college the past three years,” Provost Lynita Cooksey said. “This is a time of great transition for one of our largest colleges, and we thank her for preparing her area for one of the largest recent moves.”
The college is relocating this summer from historic Wilson Hall into the Humanities and Social Sciences building. Located in the heart of the A-State campus, the 120,625-square-foot facility is one of the largest university instructional buildings in the state of Arkansas.
“Heritage Studies is one of the premier programs of this university,” Umansky said. “Interdisciplinary, rigorous and innovative, this doctoral program trains professionals to present history and culture to public audiences, in a variety of settings. We use the Delta as a laboratory, and then fan our graduates out to the world. I am honored to be part of this process.
Umansky succeeds Dr. Clyde Milner who announced his retirement last year as the director of the Heritage Studies Ph.D. program.
Umansky joined Arkansas State three years ago from Suffolk University in Boston where over twenty years she had served as a tenured professor, department chair, associate dean, and interim associate vice president for academic affairs.
Umansky received a Master of Arts degree and doctorate in American Civilization from Brown University. An active scholar, she is author or editor of a number of books, including "Motherhood Reconceived: Feminism and the Legacies of the Sixties," "The New Disability History: American Perspectives," " 'Bad' Mothers: The Politics of Blame in Twentieth-Century America" and "Impossible to Hold: Women and Culture in the 1960s."
# # #
